Erazem Lorbek

[xxSnEaKyPxx]

Did anyone catch the box score of the Raptors game?

Erazem Lorbek 7-8 14 Points, 5 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 4 Steals, and 1 Block.
Jermaine O'Neal 5-9 11 Points, 2 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 1 Steal, and 2 Blocks.

Any chance we bring this guy over finally? Sure its just preseason, but he was going up against O'Neal and Bosh and still managed to play pretty well.

[Gremz]

I'd like to see him come over eventually, i just don't he'll be ready enough to play that well consistantly. Two notes i take from that game, he fouled out in 25 mins and didn't get to the strike even once.

Overall though i love it that he can compete with possibly the best front court in the NBA and not only hold his own, but play profficiently. The 4 steals was a nice surprise.

[Alyosha12]

Well he was very consistent last year in the Euroleague and this year with CSKA in the friendly games.
He had a lot of fouls thats true but you have to know, they are playing by NBA rules not ULEB rules that makes it very hard for them to know what is a foul and what is not. The criteria in the NBA is a lot more strict( a bit softer tbh).
The perfect example is the last foul he got when he set the pick and he was called for a moving pick. They almost never call that in Europe.

[Rasho Brezec]

One year under Messina in CSKA will do wonders for him. He'll be NBA ready next season.

[mizzoupacers]

Jermaine got his ass kicked by Erazem Lorbek!!!

[Dunthreevy]

Overall though i love it that he can compete with possibly the best front court in the NBA and not only hold his own, but play profficiently. The 4 steals was a nice surprise.

Really? Chris Bosh is a superb big man. But, best frontcourt? We as Pacers fans should know better by now than to buy the whole "Jermaine's healthy and ready to get back to all-star form" routine. J.O. is NOT going to be what the Raptors think he's going to be. It won't happen and all of us here in Indy should know that by now. My buddy (IndySports) brings up the fact that every season we'd hear how "healthy" J.O. was finally, or the "great shape" he was in, or he was just a short while away from being back to the old J.O. News flash dreamers, J.O. is barely above average at best these days and will continue to be so. Possibly the best frontcourt? Really? I'd take Boozer and Okur, Haywood and Jamison, Bynum and Gasol, Chandler and West, Howard and Lewis, etc. over Bosh and O'Neal 7 days a week and twice on game nights.

Not intended to bash you at all. I just think it's silly of us to still be drinking the J.O. kool-aid even after he's gone. Leave that for those unfortunate Raptors fans, who will surely be nostalgic about Rasho and T.J. by mid-season. Sorry Toronto fans but J.O's injury problems are like clockwork. And PLEASE, for your own good, don't buy into him being a "leader". The only thing he will lead you in is games missed and player salary.

Roy Hibbert will out-perform Jermaine O'Neal THIS year. Write it down. Take a picture. Tell a friend. It will happen.

[MillerTime101]

No respect for JO, wow what short memories us Pacer fans have .

[Grang33r]

The only thing i've heard or read from scouts who are stationed over seas is good things about his game. The hype for Marc Gasol is pretty high right now in Memphis and i'm pretty sure most people in Europe expect Lorbek to be a much better all-around player then Marc Gasol.

[Rasho Brezec]

The only thing i've heard or read from scouts who are stationed over seas is good things about his game. The hype for Marc Gasol is pretty high right now in Memphis and i'm pretty sure most people in Europe expect Lorbek to be a much better all-around player then Marc Gasol.

He was just as good as Marc Gasol, if not better, up until this last season, when Marc had his breaktrough. I still think Marc is a bit overrated or at least overhyped, especially in NBA.

[Gordon]

The only thing i've heard or read from scouts who are stationed over seas is good things about his game. The hype for Marc Gasol is pretty high right now in Memphis and i'm pretty sure most people in Europe expect Lorbek to be a much better all-around player then Marc Gasol.

He was just as good as Marc Gasol, if not better, up until this last season, when Marc had his breaktrough. I still think Marc is a bit overrated or at least overhyped, especially in NBA.

Marc is a lot more powerful than Lorbek, who is kind of a skinny and soft. He is able to hold his position on the block a lot better. I think he will have long and productive NBA career. Lorbek certainly can hold his own offensively, through he lacks footspeed, he has very good fundamentals and is able to get his shot of even againts much more athletic opponents in the post. He is also very good shooter from mid-range and solid passer. However, he well below average defensively (through he might improve under Messina`s regime). He does have neither quickness nor strenght to be a good defender, he will ocassionaly make some plays from weakside thanks to his lenght and anticipation, but is porous defender overall.

There is also another 2nd round pick stashed in Europe, who might deserve consideration down the road - Stanko Barac. He has very similar physical attributes to Roy Hibbert - slow, kind of a mechanical, but has supreme size and reach, while also being much stronger than typical Euro his age. He gets his fair share of rebounds, will block some shots and has consistent jumper from 15-18 ft. Doesn`t have recovery speed neccessary to defend P`n`R effectively and picks up cheap fouls. He could develop into a decent backup though. His potential seems bigger`s than Lorbek`s, as he is both stronger and taller, while not being nearly as skiled.

It is kind of a unfortunate that both of this guys may be legit rotation players at some point, but share many of the weaknesses Roy Hibbert posses. If Pacers would eventually want to sign one or both, they would need to pay hefty buyout as both have long term contract with some of richest european teams.

[Gremz]

Overall though i love it that he can compete with possibly the best front court in the NBA and not only hold his own, but play profficiently. The 4 steals was a nice surprise.

Really? Chris Bosh is a superb big man. But, best frontcourt? We as Pacers fans should know better by now than to buy the whole "Jermaine's healthy and ready to get back to all-star form" routine. J.O. is NOT going to be what the Raptors think he's going to be. It won't happen and all of us here in Indy should know that by now. My buddy (IndySports) brings up the fact that every season we'd hear how "healthy" J.O. was finally, or the "great shape" he was in, or he was just a short while away from being back to the old J.O. News flash dreamers, J.O. is barely above average at best these days and will continue to be so. Possibly the best frontcourt? Really? I'd take Boozer and Okur, Haywood and Jamison, Bynum and Gasol, Chandler and West, Howard and Lewis, etc. over Bosh and O'Neal 7 days a week and twice on game nights.

Not intended to bash you at all. I just think it's silly of us to still be drinking the J.O. kool-aid even after he's gone. Leave that for those unfortunate Raptors fans, who will surely be nostalgic about Rasho and T.J. by mid-season. Sorry Toronto fans but J.O's injury problems are like clockwork. And PLEASE, for your own good, don't buy into him being a "leader". The only thing he will lead you in is games missed and player salary.

Roy Hibbert will out-perform Jermaine O'Neal THIS year. Write it down. Take a picture. Tell a friend. It will happen.

Uhhhh that's why i used the word.......possibly. You see of all the lists you posted, i guarantee you that Bosh/O'Neal will be as good as, if not, the best in the league defensively. If he stays healthy, they may very well be the most dominant, however never at any point have i said they ARE the best in the nba.

[Gremz]

Jermaine got his ass kicked by Erazem Lorbek!!!

See, even after he's gone he gives the Pacer's organisation something to cheer about.